Copperbelt Voices Rally Behind President Hichilema

Support for President Hakainde Hichilema's re-election is building across the Copperbelt, with party leaders, students, miners and persons with disabilities all urging voters to hand the UPND a second term in August.

UPND Copperbelt Provincial Chairman Elisha Matambo led the calls at a rally yesterday where he unveiled the party's adopted candidates for the 2026 general election. He credited the President with reviving the mining sector, introducing free education, enhancing the Constituency Development Fund and repairing roads that had fallen into a deplorable state. Ndola Central candidate Frank Tayali pointed to the rehabilitation of the TAZARA railway line as proof of a revitalised transport sector, while Kalulushi candidate Kampamba Mulenga urged residents to keep moving forward with a party she said was committed to improving the country.

That message was echoed by ordinary Copperbelt residents. Copperbelt University Students Union President Given Chipewo praised the recruitment of teachers and health workers since 2021, and thanked the President for reintroducing meal allowances for students at institutions such as CBU and UNZA.

Persons with Disabilities representative Sara Banda commended the government for prioritising vulnerable communities, noting that free education and the expanded Social Cash Transfer programme were making a real difference to people living with disabilities.

The mining community added its voice too, with the group Miners for Hakainde Hichilema calling on colleagues to back the UPND in August, citing the revival of the sector and the job opportunities it has created for local people.